The phone suddenly rang. Gokou Ruri froze for a second, then hurriedly pulled out her phone to answer.
She was still using an old-school keypad phone—just from that, you could tell how broke her family was.
"Hello, who is this?"
The introverted girl asked carefully.
A pleasant-sounding boy's voice came through the speaker.
"Hello, Fallen Angel Saint Kuroneko-san. I got your number from the submission you sent to Fushikawa Bunko. I think your novel is quite good, so I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in working together and maybe come by our company to talk about a job?"
The moment she heard "Fushikawa Bunko," Gokou Ruri's whole body jolted.
"Of course! I'm free this weekend! Are you an editor from Fushikawa Bunko? Did my manuscript pass screening?"
She agreed in a rush and couldn't help asking, heart pounding with excitement.
For a young girl who dreamed of becoming an author, being able to turn her writing into income and improve her life was the best news she could imagine.
"Ahem, you can think of me as an editor, yes. We can talk details in person. How about we meet at the maid café in Akihabara this weekend—does that work?"
"The… maid café in Akihabara…?"
Gokou Ruri repeated the name under her breath, expression turning a little odd.
"What, is that no good?" Hayashi Maki asked, curious.
"N-no, it's fine!"
She nodded quickly.
Maid café or not, it wasn't like she couldn't go.
She was writing a fanfic based on the anime Maschera: Lament of a Fallen Beast, and she was an otaku herself, so she was actually pretty interested in maid cafés. They were just a bit expensive, so she didn't go often.
Even her Queen of Nightmare cosplay outfits were all handmade.
"Great. Then I'll see you there," Hayashi Maki said with a smile, confirming the plan.
"Ah, right—I'm Hayashi Maki. This number is my cell, so if anything comes up, just call or text me."
"Mm-hmm, got it…"
When the call ended, Gokou Ruri jumped up in delight.
"Yessss!"
"Finally! I'm finally going to be a real author? I'm gonna cry…"
She was over the moon.
…
After confirming the meeting with Fallen Angel Saint Kuroneko, Hayashi Maki quickly sorted the remaining submissions. That wrapped up his work for the day.
"Well then, Yamada Elf-san, I'm done for today. I'm heading home. How about you?"
Yamada Elf hopped off his lap in one swift motion. "Hmph, I'm going home too, obviously!"
"How about I walk you back? It isn't very safe for such a cute girl to go alone," Hayashi Maki said with a grin, taking her by the hand as they left the office.
"Since you put it that way, I suppose I'll graciously accept."
Her cheeks flushed a little red, but she didn't pull her hand away.
Hayashi Maki didn't mind her tsundere attitude at all and walked her home.
Then he found out, to his surprise, that Yamada Elf lived in the apartment right across from his own.
After dropping her off, he went back to his place without making any further moves.
Since she lived right across the hall, there was no need to rush.
Yamada Elf, meanwhile, threw herself face-first onto her bed and rolled back and forth like a storm.
Thinking about how she'd been kissed by that shameless guy at the office, she could feel her embarrassment going nuclear.
"Mom, Emily can't get married now!"
After being treated like that, just thinking about it made her heart pound like crazy.
Her thoughts a mess, she had zero motivation to write.
So she took a deep breath, stripped off her clothes, and went to play the piano.
If Hayashi Maki could've seen this sight, he'd immediately understand why the heroines in Fairy Tale Fantasy Chronicles kept randomly stripping for fanservice.
The heroine was basically modeled after her.
In the room next door, Sagiri Izumi shivered when the sound of the piano drifted through the wall.
She'd heard the apartment next door had been empty for over ten years—people joked it was haunted.
Now suddenly there was piano music. Was it… ghosts?
A little spooked, Sagiri decided to just put on her headphones.
Standing in front of the mirror, she lifted her shirt, revealing pale, smooth skin.
With the mirror's help, she studied her own petite yet perfectly shaped figure—her cheeks flushed bright red.
To improve her lewd illustration skills, she needed good references—and with her former shut-in lifestyle, she hadn't exactly had many live models.
So she had no choice but to use her own body as reference material.
She was, after all, absurdly cute herself. Using her as the template for her drawings only made her characters more alluring.
Such a lovely scene… pity no one was there to appreciate it.
Then again, with all the cute girls slowly clustering around Hayashi Maki, it wasn't like she'd lack opportunities in the future.
Back at home, Hayashi Maki was still thinking about Yamada Elf's sweetness, feeling rather energized.
While he was daydreaming, a familiar, gentle scent drifted over.
"…Hayashi Maki, you're back."
It was Mashiro.
The airheaded golden-haired beauty naturally came over, took his hand, and tugged him toward her room.
"Hayashi Maki, take it off."
"…Huh? Mashiro, what did you just say?"
Her blunt words left Hayashi Maki speechless.
What kind of dangerous line was that?
Telling him to "take it off" the moment he walked in—this was a bit much.
Mashiro calmly undid her skirt first.
Her smooth, white thighs were suddenly exposed, and Hayashi Maki's throat went dry.
"Mashiro, what are you trying to do?"
He could feel the heat rising in his body.
"Reference," Mashiro said seriously, pressing a small hand to his chest.
"Eriri says, to draw a boy's body well, you should look and touch in person."
Using that as her excuse, she still had that blank expression on her face, looking as absentminded as ever.
Hayashi Maki was a little surprised.
This little one loved sneaking into his bed and stealing food, sure.
But now she'd learned to make excuses just to get closer to him?
That was progress.
Since that was the case, he figured she deserved a reward.
Taking her hand, Hayashi Maki scooped Mashiro up and gently laid her on the bed.
"Well then, Mashiro, take a good look. I'll help you get all the reference material you need…"
With that completely "serious" line, the two of them rolled onto the mattress.
When Rita came back with drinks, she pushed open the door.
Seeing Mashiro snug in Hayashi Maki's arms, her face went bright red and she shot him a look full of pure contempt.
This guy actually took advantage of Mashiro while she was gone.
Before Rita could say anything, Hayashi Maki grabbed her too.
He'd just been holding Yamada Elf earlier and was still feeling energized.
Mashiro was obedient and bold in her own way, but a little fragile.
Rita, on the other hand, was different—she had curves, maturity, and much better stamina.
Hayashi Maki had full confidence that Rita would willingly help Mashiro share the "aggro."
Naturally, he wasn't going to miss that opportunity.